This Executive Update features WAPA's COVID-19 blog, our advocacy efforts on behalf of the industry, newly developed resources to help promote the benefits of asphalt, and a summary of recent webinars.
COVID
COVID-19 Industry Updates From WAPA

WAPA's COVID-19 blog is dedicated to providing industry-specific resources and information for our members during the pandemic.

Our latest post, reprinted below, links to a visually dynamic web page titled "Flatten the Curve Wisconsin" that highlights the important role our industry plays during this unprecedented time.

Flatten the Curve Wisconsin

The Coronavirus presents a unique challenge to the state of Wisconsin, and our response depends on a robust transportation infrastructure. Roads ensure that medical supplies get to hospitals, food gets to the grocery store, and other vital services get to market. 

Pavements get essential workers to their jobs and back home again, and they will help reconnect our communities when it's time to get back to work. In the face of this challenge, the asphalt industry and our members have partnered with other transportation industry associations, non-profit groups, and government agencies to provide health and safety guidance. Learn more at wispave.org/flattenthecurve. 

Together we will "flatten the curve" and lead the way to providing vital surface infrastructure. And together, we will serve members of our community through these difficult times.

Check WAPA's website often for important resources related to COVID-19 and other issues that impact the asphalt pavement industry in Wisconsin.
Advocating
Advocating for Our Industry

As the transportation construction  industry continues to provide essential infrastructure services and our nation prepares for the long economic recovery ahead, WAPA commends our industry's contributions through ongoing legislative efforts at the federal and state levels.

WAPA participated in the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) Fly-In, held virtually on May 21. The annual event, which provides a forum for  congressional committee leaders and members of the transportation industry to discuss new and upcoming legislative activity, focused this year on short-term relief legislation for state DOTs as well as the reauthorization of the federal FAST Act that funds surface transportation infrastructure, which is set to expire this year. The TCC has created the Hardhats for Highways initiative to help mobilize this effort. 


Additional recent WAPA activities include:
  • Adding our voice in support of AASHTO's congressional request for much-needed highway funding relief -- currently estimated at $49.95 billion -- to prevent operational and maintenance disruptions in transportation infrastructure over the next 18 months. This advocacy was highlighted in a recent article, which provides additional information about our efforts. 
  • Partnering with NAPA to launch a national grassroots effort to formally ask congressional representatives for immediate financial relief for state DOTs.
Rest assured, as revenue shortfalls continue to mount, WAPA is actively pursuing every opportunity to illustrate the need for transportation infrastructure investment.
Marketing
Marketing the Message

In an effort to promote our industry's role within the transportation ecosystem and increase awareness among a wider audience, WAPA has created two new resources that emphasize the many advantages of using asphalt materials. These standalone pages are visually appealing and suitable for sharing with all audiences who need to hear these important messages.

Benefits of Asphalt Pavements


Available at www.wispave.org/rideonus.


Asphalt Parking Lots: A Good Business Decision


Available at www.wispave.org/parkonus.


We encourage you to view these resources and share them across your professional and community networks. To share, first click on either image above to view in a new window, then find the share button in the upper-right hand corner. 

You may also add the links above to your website, send them in an email, or broadcast them on social media.
Webinars
WAPA Webinars

Although in-person HMA Inspection Trainings were canceled this year due to COVID-19, virtual sessions were still offered in April for each region. The program was geared towards new staff members who had little to no exposure to hot mix asphalt construction as well as seasoned veterans, resulting in valuable discussions of real-world scenarios and experiences. WAPA's Debbie Schwerman was instrumental in working with department staff to develop the course material and providing instruction for the three-hour sessions that took place in all five WisDOT regions with more than 300 attendees.

These valuable training sessions wouldn't have been possible without WisDOT's collaboration and flexibility, and we appreciate the agency's efforts to provide them in this format for the 2020 construction season.





Our partnership with WisDOT, and highlights of WAPA's awards program, were also topics of discussion in a new webinar with Asphalt Contractor Magazine that examined innovation in the asphalt industry. This national online panel provided a great opportunity for us to highlight our many initiatives to save taxpayer money by designing innovative pavements that are smooth to ride and built to last. Please click the image above to view the recorded webinar.

Save the Date!

Don't forget to register for NAPA's Virtual Midyear Meeting, to be held from July 13-15. This year's theme -- managing disruption in the COVID-19 era and beyond -- promises to offer valuable insight as we all face new challenges relating to economic, legislative and workforce issues.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or if there is ever any way we may be of assistance. Thanks again, and have a safe summer.